Perhaps they just haven’t thought of it.
While our dinghy rests safely, guarded by a length of thick stainless steel chain and a Kryptonite lock, a few other less-secured tenders continue to go missing. The latest of these thefts occurred just the other day and while we heard this morning that the dinghy itself was found floating up island, the 20HP Honda outboard which was attached to it remains missing.
- Note to thieves: Please stop reading now.
Most people here are very in-tune with the value of high-HP outboards on RIBS and thus keep them secured. What strikes me as odd is that on many boats, there is another very expensive item, a life raft, which is typically unsecured and most often sitting easily within the reach of thieves. In spite of this, no one seems to walk away with them. Why? I assume that they’re not stolen because there is no market for them. Then again, perhaps they just haven’t thought of it yet.
On a related topic, in the nautical adventure book I am currently enjoying, Getting There, one of the characters had something extra special hidden in one of his life raft canisters. If thieves thought that this was the case, they’d definitely be stealing them!
No one on board and an inflatable life raft within reach of someone passing by in a dinghy.
I would paint everything bright pink so no one would want and it becomes too identifiable…..
You’re not the first to think of this, or actually do it. The thieves don’t really want the dinghies though, they just want the engines. Pretty sure they could repaint the engine quick enough. What people do is try to make them look less new so that they are less desirable.
Or did you mean the life raft?
Good friends of Seth and Jaime on LA PALAPA recently had their engine stolen off the dingy in Granada. I think they are in the Hog Island area.
We know them but I wasn’t aware of that. I’ll be seeing them tomorrow at the beach.
Actually I had heard of that theft. It occurred during the carnival at the dock across from IWW. I didn’t realize that it was their boat though. In fact, we hadn’t actually met them then.
What a coincidence – I have been reading that same book for the past two days and am on the last couple of pages now!! I enjoyed it mostly because it is set here so I recognize (and thus can picture) all of the locations.
Rebecca and I did a navigation course with the Power Squadron and the training chart they used was a modified one from that area. Because of that, and the fact that I have been to Vancouver Island a number of times, I was familiar with some of those places too.
I just finished the book. Rebecca and I both quite enjoyed it.
Outboards are an obvious target. They are expensive. Essential local equipment. They are easily traded.
Here, they are stolen with other useful kit, by local lads mainly from the fishing boats. This is largely done to order. Also, when ‘Boat Jumble sales’ are coming up, there is a spate of theiving in the local area as traders build up their stock of ‘second hand goods’
If you don’t know the serial numbers, the police can’t do much to help when you see your old outboard and dinghy, and compass, and vhf, etc etc for sale at these places.
Life rafts have little value second hand. They are all identified by serial number and this is known by the supplier, the servicing agent, and often the coast guard. They are only worth stealing out of malice, or for the first aid pack and the other supplies that are packed inside them.
As you may guess, I have had some experience of all this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙁
Mike
Sorry to hear that!
Those liferaft cannisters seem to be a very uninteresting target to the bad guys. That’s why I came up with that in my book. Thanks for the mention and the link! I’m glad that you enjoyed the book. I’ve got a new novel out about a young sailing crazy girl. The book is called Pender Island Blues. A very different story than Getting There. Very Canadian though. You can get it at Amazon also.
Take care!!
Michael Matthews
Young sailing crazy girl… we’ve met a couple of those out here. 🙂
Mike, how long is your stainless dinghy chain? Do you wish it were longer/ shorter? We are getting ready to head down at the end of H season.
It is 10′ long. Yes, I wish I had it longer, perhaps 15 would be perfect as it would allow me to go around something and back to the boat if necessary. That chain is EXPENSIVE though. I got that 10′ length from a friend here for only 30 EC. 10mm stainless chain is a LOT more than that!!!! The dinghies are valuable though and even as pricey as the chain is, I still think it’s worth it to protect them.